Farm Blog at the State Fair: Today's Feature is Pigs and Hogs

D. Groom / The Post-StandardIt's breakfast time for 12 Hampshire breed piglets in the swine barn at the New York State Fair.

In the swine barn -- New York state ranks 32nd in the United States for hog and pig production.

John Stenson, superintendent of the swine barn at the New York State Fair and a retired hog producer, admits it isn't a large part of the state's agricultural landscape. He said there are only a couple of large producers in the state, while others with pigs raise them for breeding stock, freezer pork or a growing industry -- roaster pigs.

In 2010, there were about 110,000 pigs and hogs raised in the state, with a total value of $11.8 million.

In the swine barn at the state fair, the few and proud pig and hog breeders show off all the different breeds and answer questions about the animals. And, of course, one of the highlights of the fair is to see the piglets. There usually are a couple of sows with numerous piglets there to oooh and aaaah over.

Stenson said the most popular breeds in the state are Yorkshire, Hampshire and Duroc. He said the primary problem in New York state is there are no processing plants for swine -- any pigs being produced for pork products have to be taken to Pennsylvania for slaughter.

"But the pork produced in New York, the quality is excellent and the taste is excellent," he said. He added the prices are very good in the state.

Nationally, there are more than 61 million pigs and hogs, with Iowa the number one state for pork production. The United State is the world's largest pork exporter, with exports increasing to $4.8 billion in 2008. Japan is the top importer of U.S. pork.

Pork is the world's most consumed meat.

And for all those wondering, there is a difference between a hog and a pig. Hog is the general name for the animal while a pig is a young hog. Also a gilt is a female that has not yet been bred to have a litter of piglets.